Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-01-20
THE CALICO FROCK.

bic day, day that made your clothes
stick to you like poor relations. that
brought out cold sweats on pitchers
and goblets, that made your back n
race course for contemplate little
chills and the rest of your body tar
get for thousand invincible pins and
needles, that made the grasshopper a
burden and the dusty. begrimmed city
n pandemOnium, that made Solomon
Griggs, bachelor, of the firm of
Griggs, Makem & Co., the great cloth
ing merchants, shut up his ledger with
a bang and start for the country by the
next train, remarking to old Grimesby,
the head clerk, 'that the city was stiff
ling" To which that worthy replied:
$50 it is; but how about the fellers that
can't get out of it and must stay to be
choked?"---a problem which suspect
our friend of the firm of Griggs, Ma
KEN & Co. troubled his head very little
about, being just then busy in looking
into the dusty recesses of that picture
gallery which memory furnishes and
arranges for us all, at single land
scape hanging there. A low house with
messy, overhanging caves, standing on
the slope of green hill, shaded by
branching elms, with level fields stretch
ing off in the foreground toward the
sparkling water on one side and dusky
woods on the other, and there, dusty,
sweating, and tired Solomon found
himself Just about sunset. Out came
ruddy- cheeked. smiling old lady in
cap and apron, that had attained u
state of snowy perfection unknown TO
city laundresses.
"Why. bless me, if it isn't little Sol.
why. who'd thought of seeing
you?" and she folded the stalwart
bearded man in as warm an embrace
as though he were in reality still the
little Sol. of former days.
"And how do you do, Sol Come In,
come in; don't stand out there. You
know the little path and the way to the
pantry yet, dare say. Come in; you
needn't start back-its only Rachel"
"But / didn't know you had any
young ladies with you Aunt Hester"
ats only Rachel, | tell you-Rachel
Hart, the seamstress. Are there no
women in your city, that you are
afraid to face little country grip"
Little indeed, thought Solomon, as
he acknowledged his aunts somewhat
peculiar introductiOn-and not pretty,
either-with large eyes of that uncer-
tain gray that sometimes beams dark
ly blue and then deepeDs into brown
with smooth low forehead, and
light brown hair drawn tightly across
each ear. Just revealing its crimson tip;
face irregularly featured, and render
ed still more striking by the singular
contrast between its extreme pallor
and the intensely scarlet lips-the per-
sonification of neatness, the embodi-
ment of reserve.
IAN odd little person." thought Sol
ONION, "but it S none OF my business, "
and dismissing her from his mind. he
proceeded to the much more important
business of making himself presentable
at Aunt Hester's tea-table.
Solomon did ample justice to the
snowy bread golden butter, and lus-
cious strawberries, and later, as that
worthy was iudulged in stroll across
the fields, he lifted up his eyes and be-
held the little seamstress. whose exist
ence he had quite forgotten, under n
venerable cherry tree, making desper-
ate efforts to seize tempting branch
on its lowest boughs-revealing in her
gyrations very neat foot and ankle,
and looking almost pretty with her
i, flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes.
Now Sol. was gallant man-de-
cidedly the preux-chevalier of the firm
of Griggs, Makem & Co., so that when
ever, as had once or twice happened,
petticoat ventured into the moldy
shades of that establishment, Sol. was
the man whom destiny aud the other
partners selected to parley with the
enemy.
Advancing. therefore, with IA happy
mixture of confidence and condescen-
sion, Sol. plucked the cherries and was
about to present them when independ-
ence in calico frock stepped back and
with q cool:
keep them yourself, sir; l don't
care for them"
II thought you wanted them!"
stammered Sol.
so did, because they were difficult
to obtain. Had they been on your
aunt's table / would not have touched
them. 1t is the glow of triumph that
gives pleasure to its zest Eat the
cherries yourself, and good evening,
sirr'
stop moment" said Sol, not q
little astonished; 'that isl mean
permit me to accompany your
mo, you would expect me to enter.
tain you, and that would be too much
trouble"
.But, if instead, should entertain
youP"
You can not.
'WhyP'
You could tell me nothing new
You are only crucible for convert
ing bales of cloth into the precious
ore that all the world goes mad after
No doubt you are all very we'll IL
your way, but there are alchemistl
who could transmute our humdrun
daily life into golden verse or heaven
ly thought. To such one 1 might
listen, but you and ! have nothing il
common"
"Not even our humanity" asked
Solomon.
The stern face of the young CIR
softened little, but only for mo-
ment.
moi" she answered. angrily, mo
even that. i, you know. am made o
the inferior Clayton of the pur,
porcelain. Do you not remembel
how even good, kind Aunt Hestei
told you there were no young ladies
with her, only the seamstress. Yor
are slightly bored already, and think